WTF Just Happened Today

Tuesday, May 28, 2019

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1/ Robert Mueller reportedly drafted a three-count obstruction of justice indictment against Trump before deciding to shelve it. In his new book, Siege: Trump Under Fire, Michael Wolff writes that his findings on the Mueller investigation are "based on internal documents given to me by sources close to the Office of the Special Counsel." According to Wolff, the first count charged Trump with influencing, obstructing or impeding a pending proceeding before a department or agency of the U.S. The second count charged Trump with tampering with a witness, victim or informant, and the third count charged Trump with retaliating against a witness, victim or informant. While the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel says a sitting president cannot be indicted, Wolff obtained a draft memorandum by Mueller's team opposing an expected motion to dismiss the indictment. The special counsel's office denied the claim, saying "The documents that you've described do not exist." (The Guardian / NBC News)

• Michael Flynn's case could prompt the release of some redacted portions of the Mueller report this week. Judge Emmet Sullivan set a Friday deadline for the Justice Department to make unredacted parts of the report that pertain to Flynn public, as well as transcripts of Flynn's calls with former Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak, and of a voicemail during which someone connected to Trump referenced Flynn's cooperation. (CNN)

2/ A congressional Republican accused Attorney General Bill Barr of intentionally misrepresenting the Mueller report to further Trump's "false narrative" about the investigation. In a 25-post tweetstorm, Rep. Justin Amash alleged that Barr's March 24th letter summarizing Mueller's principal conclusions "selectively quotes and summarizes points in Mueller's report in misleading ways" and as a result "the public and Congress were misled." (Politico / Washington Post / Axios)

• ???? Day 851: Michigan Rep. Justin Amash became the first Republican lawmaker to publicly conclude that Trump has committed "impeachable conduct" as president, and that Trump's conduct meets the "threshold for impeachment." In a Twitter thread, Amash said he believes "few members of Congress even read" Mueller's final report, and said the report establishes "multiple examples" of Trump committing obstruction of justice. Amash also accused Attorney General William Barr of intentionally misleading the public. "Contrary to Barr's portrayal," Amash wrote, "Mueller's report reveals that President Trump engaged in specific actions and a pattern of behavior that meet the threshold for impeachment." (CNN /